A black firefighter who claims he was assaulted and tasered by a group of Met police officers because of his skin colour is the latest case of alleged racism to be brought against Scotland Yard

Edric Kennedy-Macfoy, 28, was off duty when he said he was insulted and arrested without good cause after going to assist six policemen while they were dealing with a disturbance last year.

It is the 10th case in the last three weeks which is due to be investigated by both the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

It is the latest in a wave of race related allegations made against Metropolitan Police officers which are being probed by the two watchdogs.

Mr Kennedy-Macfoy claims he was driving through Harrow in north London during the early hours of September 4 last year when he spotted a youth throw a rock at a police van.

He says he then stopped his car and approached a group of officers, who were dispersing a group of partygoers from a property in Harrow View, to inform them.

However, the firefighter claims he was insulted by the policemen who behaved like "wild animals." The group of officers which included an inspector, sergeant, detective constable and two constables from Harrow borough, swore at him and were violent before going on to detain him without good cause.

He was later charged with obstructing police, but found not guilty following a trial at Brent Magistrates' Court in February.

The firefighter originally issued a complaint against the six officers shortly after the incident.

But the force did not launch a misconduct investigation because criminal proceedings against Mr Kennedy-Macfoy were on-going.
However, his solicitor sent a further complaint letter outlining the precise details of the alleged incident last week.

A Met Police spokesman confirmed officers had shut down a noisy party of more than 200 people on the day of the alleged incident.

"Some of those attending became hostile towards police and threw bottles and bricks at officers. Four police officers received minor injuries caused by missiles thrown at them," he added.

"A man arrived at the scene by car and approached officers on the cordon. He was subsequently tasered. He did not require medical treatment."

Inspector David Bergum told Brent court that he "had to do a quick risk assessment" on Kennedy-Macfoy in what was a "stressful" situation, reports The Guardian.

"I couldn't say he was anything to do with the party. The party was all black. He was black. He had driven through the cordon. I had to do a quick risk assessment."

The force confirmed it had received a complaint against the conduct of six officers during the incident.

It alleged that "officers arrested and detained a 28-year-old man without good cause, assaulted him during the arrest, that the officers were insulting and the way in which he was treated was motivated by factors relating to race", the Met said.

The Met spokesman confirmed the MPS Directorate of Professional Standards is investigating the incident, which was also automatically referred to the IPCC as a taser was discharged.

The Met said it was taking the allegations "extremely seriously".

None of the officers, which also included a constable from the Diplomatic Protection Group and officers from black and ethnic backgrounds, have been suspended or restricted.

There are now 12 separate allegations of racism by Met officers under investigation by Scotland Yard and the IPCC.

They include the case of Pc Alex MacFarlane, 52, who will face criminal charges after being accused of racially abusing a suspect during last summer's riots. The alleged incident was recorded on a mobile phone. He will appear before magistrates in May charged with a public order offence.

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Pictures Of The Day: 20 April

Face Britain, a light show consisting of over 200,000 self portraits of children, is projected onto Buckingham Palace to form a montage image of Her Majesty the Queen on April 19, 2012 in London, England. The project was created by The Prince's Foundation for Children & the Arts, which enables disadvantaged young people to access and engage with professional arts. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)